Chapter 106 The Doctor Is In 2 (2/2)
The cave was on a higher part of the hill and not easily accessible due to its rocky terrain. Most of the cave was obscured and only tiny cracks, too small for anyone to get through, were visible from outside. However, with the underground passageway, it was a breeze to enter freely. Zero couldn't wait to meet the villagers and tried to imagine what the cave would look like.
They arrived at the cave quickly and Zero blinked. The cave was very well furnished with animal skin rugs, light crystals, a huge bonfire, some firewood supplies at the side and most importantly, some barrels of alcohol. Yes, Zero knew what alcohol was because he caught Hua Tuo drinking some secretly. The physician kept his alcohol a distance away from the hut. Zero secretly followed Hua Tuo out when the doctor snuck out one night. He didn't mention this to anyone yet for he didn't want them to be alarmed. Zero tried alcohol before out of curiosity and honestly, he didn't want to do it again. The side effects were terrible and Zero preferred to stay clear of that fermented liquid.
”The doctor and his apprentice are here!” Someone announced. Immediately, the mood in the cave lit up. Zero was suddenly barraged with cheers, questions and greetings. The highly-energetic bunch scared Zero. Never had he experienced so many people swarming over him. They closed in on him so quickly and the brunet got separated with Hua Tuo at some point. Seeing so many unfamiliar people talking to him scared Zero.
Luckily for him, Zero recognised Clowis from earlier. Instinctively, he ran over to hide behind the teenager, causing the majority of the villagers to coo at his shyness.
”Aww, that's not fair! Don't hog the young doctor!”
”That's right, I called dibs! He's going to try my dish first!”
”No, we agreed to let him choose, didn't we? Now stop pressuring the young boy. The poor thing is shaking in his shoes!”
Clowis pinched the bridge of his nose. The girls gathering around them only increased and Zero clung onto his leg tighter.
”Look, give him some space to breathe and bring him something to eat. I'm sure he'll gladly answer all your questions when he's less overwhelmed. Zero, I heard that you enjoy trying new dishes. My sister, Amaraline here will take you to try some of our village's speciality. As for the rest of you, scoot! You can line up to talk to him after food. Chieftess is going to give a speech soon so go gather around the fire before I force you to.”
The girls pouted but dispersed, much to Zero's relief.
”Thank you,” he breathed and gave Clowis a bright smile. ”You're a great person!”
Blushing at Zero's sincere compliment, the warrior looked away. He couldn't quite hide the tint of pink on his cheeks but tried to remain as nonchalant as possible while introducing his sister.
Amaraline had similar feathers protruding from her arms. The girl had beautiful brown locks and two green stripes on each cheek. However, Zero noticed how her eyes were closed while she walked and upon closer observation, noted how there was a faded white patch over her eyes. The mark scarred her beautiful face and Zero understood why Hua Tuo made the first rule. Amaraline probably had a tough and painful past. Zero felt sorry for her even though they've only met.
”Hi, Zero. I'm Amaraline and this is my older brother, Clowis. Allow me to be your guide. Is there anything you prefer to eat? We have a variety of things from mushroom salad to grilled meat. I'm proud to say that the festive stew is our village's signature dish.”
Salivating at Amaraline's introduction, Zero nodded enthusiastically. ”As long as it isn't caterpillar cakes or poisonous mushroom cookies, I'll eat anything!”
Amaraline giggled at Zero's tone and led the way. Zero was amazed by how the blind girl was able to manoeuvre her way around without sight. Amaraline walked with such precision and grace that Zero had a hard time believing she couldn't see at all.
The feast was filled with dance, music, food and laughter. After Zenobia's short speech to welcome their guests, Hua Tuo and Zero were invited up the small stone platform to say a few words. Hua Tuo kept his short and polite while Zero fumbled with finding his vocabulary under the pressure of many pairs of expectant eyes.
”Um... I- I'm Zero! I'm glad to be here today... the stew is great!”
Zero's speech was followed by thunderous applause and a lot of cheering. Zenobia grinned and told Zero that tonight's stew was made by a middle-aged lady called Zoe. Zero thanked her once more before walking off the platform to resume eating. The middle-aged lady went pink at the compliment but offered Zero seconds when he cleaned his bowl.
During the feast, Zero got to meet almost all the villagers. The only exceptions were Karris who wasn't feeling too well and Lowis who was patrolling the borders. He met three other children who were about his age. Their names were Jacqueline, Rima and Leon.
Jacqueline was a quarter mermaid. She had fish scales, dark vision and could breathe underwater. The gills by her neck wasn't normally visible although her skin was an intriguing shade of light blue that made her appear sickly most the time. Unlike normal mermaids, Jacqueline had no issues being out of the water. In fact, she laments how she doesn't have the siren's voice that many merfolks possessed or a tail for that matter. According to Jacqueline, she was eleven in human years and didn't know her parents. Her human grandfather brought her to this village when she was just a baby and left her in the care of the village chieftess. Zero felt slightly bad for her but Jacqueline laughed it off. According to her, living with Zoe made her happy.
Rima was a girl with cute cocoa brown pigtails. If the girl didn't introduce herself as a spirit propagator, Zero would've thought of her as a normal human. Rima was a girl around nine in human years. However, according to Jacqueline, Rima been nine-year-old as far as she remembered.
”I'm a soul container for a white antelope spirit guardian. The one I'm waiting for has yet to awaken so I cannot age.”
Zero was intrigued. He didn't know such things were possible. Then again, his existence wasn't one that could easily be explained either so he simply accepted it. None of the villagers found it weird so Zero shrugged it off. Rima was also living with Zoe who seemed to be Half Moon Village's foster mother for abandoned children.
Leon was a lively boy about twelve in human age. Zero found him to be very humorous. Nobody knew exactly what Leon was but he had a tendency to spot lion parts whenever he was excited. Zero had the opportunity to pat the lion ears and stroke his tail. He was delighted to feel them twitch under his touch. The supposed werecat was easily ticklish and often became the subject of punishments in the form of tickle torture. He had rocks for brains according to Rima but was a pure and honest person. Zero decided that he liked his new friends well enough and was slightly sad when they had to part for the night.
”Come visit us tomorrow! We can play tag!”
Zero didn't know what tag was but agreed. It sounded fun.
Hua Tuo smiled when Zero chattered away about how he made new friends. He made sure to text Truen about it and sent some updates to the Great Gods. The brunet didn't stop talking about it until Hua Tuo put the lights out.
”Do you think I can see them again tomorrow?”
Hua Tuo chuckled. Zero fired a long message to Truen about his newly made friends and the wood elf had yet to reply, supposedly busy with his training. He must be feeling slightly insecure so Hua Tuo reassured him that they would be delighted to have him.
”They promised to play tag with you so I'm sure you will see them tomorrow. But first, get some sleep. We need to check on Karris and Granny Moppo first thing in the morning before we make our rounds. Also, if we have some spare time after lunch, you could ask Raj about the moving platform. He'll be sure to indulge you in his creations.”
Smiling, Zero bid Hua Tuo good night once more before falling to sleep, already dreaming about the fun things he could do tomorrow.
What an eventful first day on the job!